Conjunctions
161
Textual evidence:
4.7.1.9. ርእያሃ፡ ለእብን፡ ኀበ፡ አንኰርኰረት። (Mark 16:4).
rǝʾyā-hā la-ʾəbn ḫaba ʾankwarkwarat
<V:Perf:3f.p-PSuff:3f.s > <Prep-NCom:fs.s.Nom > <Conj> <V:Perf.3f.s >
‘They saw the stone rolled up’.
Not far from the scope, it might be necessary to mention that there are some uncommon usages of ḫaba that can be found in some written texts. For instance, if we have a look at the passage አስተበቍዐክሙ፡ አኃዊነ፡ አነ፡ ጳውሎስ፡ በየውሀት፡
ወበምሕረተ፡ ክርስቶስ፡ እስመ፡ ሶበ፡ እሄሉ፡ ኀቤክሙ፡ መጠነ፡ አነ፡ በገጽ፡ ወበኀበሰ፡
ኢሀሎኩ፡ እተፊ፡ ላዕሌክሙ። (2 Cor. 10:1). ʾastabaqqwʿa-kkǝmu ʾaḫāwi-na ʾana ṗāwǝlos ba-yawwǝhāt wa-ba-mǝḥrata krǝstos maṭana ʾana ba-gaṣṣ wa-ba-ḫaba-ssa ʾi-halloku ʾǝtaffi lāʿle-kmu ‘Brethern, I, Paul urge you by the meekness and compassion of Christ as long as I am with you face to face, but when absent, I would write to you’.
In the reading, ḫaba took the place of soba and attempts to play the role of a time conjunction. However, we cannot assume that it is one of its features since such kind of strange treatment can be applied very rarely or accidentally, and we cannot find more identical readings to ratify it.
4.8. Conjunctions of condition
Conjunctions
162
References: Job 3:15.; Ps. 103:29; Luke 16: 31; John 13:32; Rom. 11:6; 2 Cor. 2:2, 11:4;
Gal. 1:10.
We can also find እመ ʾəmma while keeping both a prefix and a suffix at the same time in the form of ለእመሁ la-ʾəmma-hu, ለእመሂ la-ʾəmma-hi, ለእመሰ la-ʾəmma-ssa and ለእመኬ la-ʾəmma-ke. Nevertheless, no change will happen to the meaning or to the role of the element because of the prefixation or the suffixation. References: Matt. 4:9; Acts 5:39, 8:22; 2 Cor 2:9; Anap. Nicean (com) verse 20, 59.
Having said this, let us come to their functions. They are used as:
4.8.1.1. Conjunctions in expression of hypothesis or possibility with the meaning ‘if’ or
‘if…then’. 180 Textual evidences:
4.8.1.1.1. እመ፡ አሕየውኮ፡ ለዝንቱ፡ ኢኮንከ፡ አርኮ፡ ለቄሳር። (John 19:12).
ʾǝmma ʾaḥyawk-o la-zəntu ʾi-konka
<Conj> <V:Perf.2m.s-PSuff:3m.s> <Prep-PDem:3m.s.Nom> <PartNeg-V:Perf.2m.s>
ʾark-o la-qesār
<NCom:m.s.Acc-PSuff:3m.s> <Prep-NPro:m.s.Nom>
‘If you release him, you are not Caesar’s friend’.
4.8.1.1.2. ሶበሰ፡ ሀሎከ፡ ዝየ፡ እም፡ ኢሞተ፡ እኁየ። (John 12:21).
soba-ssa hallo-ka zəya ʾǝm ʾi-mota ʾǝḫu-ya
<Conj-Part> <V:Perf.2m.s> <Adv> <Conj> <PartNeg-V:Perf.3m.s> <NCom:m.s.Nom PSuff:1c.s>
‘If you had been here, my brother would not have died’.
Further references: Mark 13:22; John 5:46.
4.8.1.2. Conjunctions expressing the concepts ‘even if’ and ‘despite the possibility that’.
እመኒ፡ ኵሎሙ፡ ዐለዉከ፡ አንሰ፡ ኢየዐልወከ፡ ግሙራ። (Matt. 25:33).
ʾəmma-ni kwǝll-omu ʿalawu-ka ʾanǝsa
<Conj-Part> <ProTot-Psuff:3m.p> <V:Perf.3m.p-PSuff:2m.s> <PPer:1c.s> <PartNeg- ʾi-yyaʿallǝwa-kka gəmurā
V:Imperf.1c.s-PSuff:2m.s> <Adv>
‘Even if all may deny you, I will never deny you’.
180 Dillmann 1865, 726, 354; Kidāna Wald Kǝfle 1955:131; Leslau 1989, 22, 70; Yāred Šiferaw 2009:376.
Conjunctions
163
Further references: 2 Cor. 4:3, 5:1.
4.8.1.3. Conjunctions to introduce alternate possibilities with the meaning ‘whether’.
This will be realized when the element occurs repeatedly jointed by wa. Then, the first will be ‘whether’ or ‘either’, and every next element goes to be ‘or’.
Textual evidences:
4.8.1.3.1 እመኒ፡ ጳውሎስ፡ ወእመኒ፡ አጵሎስ፡ ወእመኒ፡ ጴጥሮስ። (1 Cor. 3:22).
ʾəmma-ni ṗāwǝlos wa-ʾəmma-ni ʾaṗǝlos wa-ʾəmma-ni ṗeṭros
<Conj-Conj> <NPro:m.s.Nom> <Conj-Conj> <NPro:m.s.Nom> <Conj-Conj-Conj>
<NPro:m.s.Nom>
‘Whether Paul or Apollos or Peter’.
4.8.1.3.2. እንዳዒ፡ ለእመ፡ ወሀቦሙ፡ እግዚአብሔር፡ ከመ፡ ይነስሑ፡ ለሕይወት። (Acts 11:18).
ʾǝndāʿi la-ʾǝmma wahab-omu ʾǝgzizʾabḥer kama yǝnnassǝḥu
<AdvUnc> <Prep-Conj> <V:Perf.3m.s-PSuff:3m.p> <NCom:m.s.Nom> <Conj>
la-ḥǝywat
<V:Subj.3m.p> <Prep-NCom: unm.s.Nom>
‘I do not know whether God has granted them to repent for life’.
Further references: Luke 22: 33; 2 Cor. 5:9, 10; Jas. 5:12.
4.8.1.4. Conjunctions with the meanings ‘or’, ‘or else’ and ‘otherwise’.
To play such a role, the elements shall be combined with the negation particle አኮ ʾakko.
The used fixed phrase እመ፡ አኮ ʾəmma ʾakko is formed out of such a combination.181 Textual evidence:
4.8.1.4.1. ግበሩ፡ ዕፀ፡ ሠናየ፡ ወፍሬሁኒ፡ ሠናየ፡ ወእመ፡ አኮ፡ ግበሩ፡ ዕፀ፡ እኩየ፡
ወፍሬሁኒ፡ እኩየ። (Matt. 12:33).
gəbaru ʿəṣ́a śannāya wa-fəre-hu-ni
<V:Impt.2m.p> <NCom:unm.s.Acc> <NCom:m.s.Acc-Conj> <Conj-NCom:ms.s.Acc- śannāya wa-ʾəmma ʾakko gǝbaru ʿəṣ́a
PSuff:3m.s-Conj> <NCom:m.s.Acc> <Conj-Conj> <PartNeg> <NCom:unm.s.Acc>
ʾǝkkuya wa-fəre-hu-ni ʾəkkuya
181 Tropper 2002, 146.
Conjunctions
164
<NCom:m.s.Acc> <Conj-NCom:m.s.Acc-PSuff:3m.s-Part> <NCom:m.s.Acc>
‘Make the tree good and its fruit good; otherwise, make the tree bad and its fruit bad’.
4.8.1.4.2. ወእመ፡ አኮ፡ ወይን፡ በለሰ፡ ፈርየ። (Jas. 3:12).
wa-ʾǝmma ʾakko wayn balasa farǝya
<Conj-Conj> <PartNeg> <NCom:m.s.Nom> <NCom:m.s.Acc> <V:Inf.Acc>
‘Or else, (can) a wine produce a fig?’.
Further references: Gen. 30:1; 1 Sam. 2:18, 19:17; Acts 24:17; 1 Cor. 5:10.
Similarly, the combination of ʾǝmma with ቦ bo and አልቦ ʾalbo produces the most used fixed phrases እመቦ ʾǝmma-bo or ለእመቦ la-ʾǝmma-bo (if there is), እመ፡ አልቦ ʾǝmma ʾalbo or ለእመ፡ አልቦ la-ʾǝmma ʾalbo (if there is no).
Textual evidences:
4.8.1.4.3. በአይቴ፡ አአምር፡ ለእመ፡ አልቦ፡ ዘመሀረኒ። (Acts 8:31).
ba-ʾayte ʾaʾammǝr la-ʾǝmma ʾalbo za-mahara-nni
<Prep-AInt> <V:Imperf:1c.s> <Prep-Conj> <ExNeg-3m.s> <Prel-V:Perf.3m.s-PSuff:1c.s>
‘How can I know if there is no one who teaches me?’.
4.8.1.4.4. ሶበ፡ አኮ፡ እግዚአብሔር፡ ምስሌነ፡… ፡ አሐዝብ፡ ሕያዋኒነ፡ እም፡ ውኅጡነ።
(Ps. 124:2).
soba-ʾakko ʾǝgziʾabḥer məsle-na … ʾaḥazzəb ḥəyāwani-na
<Conj-PartNeg> <NCom:m.s.Nom> <Prep-Psuff:1c.p> <V:Imperf.1c.s> <NCom:m.s.
ʾəm-wəḫṭu-na
Acc-PSuff:1c.p> <Conj-V:Perf.3m.p-PSuff:1c.p>
‘If God had not been with us, ... I think that they would have swallowed us’.
4.8.2. ወእደ waʾǝda
Tropper identified ወእደ waʾǝda as a preposition, and also showed how it is combined with the preposition ba.182 But in accordance with the ʾAggabāb tradition, it functions as a conjunction without need of any word attachment. On its origin, Leslau proposed that it is derived from the root for ʾǝd ‘hand’ with a deictic w.183 It is used as a
182 Tropper 2002, 143.
183 Leslau 2006. 602.
Conjunctions
165
conjunction with the meanings ‘as’, ‘if’ and ‘since’.184 In a sentence, it is always attached to verbs directly.
Textual evidence:
4.8.2.1. ወእደ፡ ተናገረ፡ ኢዮብ፡ አውሥአ። (Job 16:1).
waʾǝda-tanāgara ʾiyyob ʾawǝśǝʾa
<Conj-V:Perf.3m.s> <NPro:m.s.Nom> <V:Perf.3m.s>
‘As Job has spoken, he answered’.
Further references: Job 23:10; Prov. (com.) 15:6.